Currently I am working on setting up an adwords campaign for a site of mine, where the goal is to get them to buy through my affiliate links. but I can't use the name of the product. My ad keeps getting put on inactive due to this
Can you think of any other keywords to try that describe your product type? For example, instead of saying Coke or Pepsi, say cola or soda.
alot of affiliate links specifically have a clause that prohibits you from using certain keywords and or targeting the same audience. Even if you manage to run the campaign, your affiliate account could end up being suspended (usually right before you get paid too). Be sure to read over the TOS of the ad company, as well as the specific TOS of the affiliate (as some affiliate do place additional restrictions for their ads). My concern would be that if your affiliate account is closed, everything you spent at adwords will be lost.
Most of the major affiliate networks allow Adwords, so this is not a problem from your affiliate companies/networks. If you are finding hard putting your affiliate link in Adwords, try redirecting your affiliate link on your domain name.